here + there

Just a few bits and pieces from recent times.  I've been trying to take more pictures of everyday life, rather than just for-the-blog type photos.  It's especially fun since it's kind of documenting this house and all the little changes and upgrades that we're doing.  But also, it's nice to focus on the little things.  To notice little moments and capture them with a photo.  Maybe it's just the way the light is hitting the wall, or how yummy breakfast looks, or the silly face Dan is making, but it's all special.  
  
About month ago we received a package from Craft Coffee, which came right in time as we had just ran out of beans.  I'm usually not a big fan of subscription boxes, as I find in most cases the concept would just cause more clutter and the acquisition of unneeded items.  But since we drink at least one cup of coffee a day at home (way cheaper than going out for coffee, though we do lots of that too), Craft Coffee actually does make sense!  Each month you get a pretty little package full of delicious beans that have been chosen by a rigorous taste test, so you get to taste the best beans from all over the place, without even having to leave your house!  I mean, we've got some damn good coffee roasters in this fine city, but it's still a fun way to get great coffee, especially if you don't have access to a high quality roaster in your area!
  
I think my favorite time of day is sipping on the first cup of coffee and cooking breakfast.  The day is still new, and fresh coffee tastes magical, and my tummy is always so ready for some delicious food.  Dan makes coffee and I cook up some potatoes, sausage and two eggs.  Sometimes toast and jam.  Lately it's been sunny, which is so refreshing after what feels like months of solid grey cloudy days.  The sun streaming through the kitchen window is just the best.  I can't wait until summer when we can open the back door and let the fresh, warm air breeze in.  I want our back door to be one of those farmhouse split doors where you can cool summer pies.

golden girl

I've had my eye on this dress for a while, but didn't really think I had an occasion to wear it.  But then I realized that I didn't care because it was so fabulous and I'd come up with some excuse to put it on.  I decided to get a little glammed up for our housewarming party and this dress was the perfect number.  And I realized that my hair is long enough for a fun little updo!  Huzzah!  I hope I find another event (or create one) so I can wear this dress.  I suppose a fancy date could be a good excuse, though we typically go on more laid-back dates.  A couple years ago Dan's birthday had an old hollywood theme, and this dress would've been perfect for that!  I'm sure I'll come up with something, because this dress is too good to be stuck in the back of a closet.

dress/courtesy of modcloth :: shoes/vintage :: coat/ruche :: photos by Dan
Our housewarming party was so fun.  I made stuffed mushrooms, cupcakes, bruschetta and crostinis, baked brie, and punch.  Just talking about the food makes me wish I could materialize it all right now, so good!  I've made that baked brie three times in the past month because it's seriously one of the best things in the world.  And it's so incredibly easy to make.  It's my new go-to party dish.
It was so cool to have our new home packed with great people, and the conversation buzzing from wall to wall.  Our kitchen is big enough now that it's where people gather and talk.  Our last kitchen was so small that it was hard to have more than two people in there.  I've always loved how the kitchen is the room in a house where people just want to stand around and hang out, so it was nice to see that our new kitchen is great for that!
I can't wait to have barbecues this summer.  Even though our backyard is pretty small, it's still going to be so great for having little summer dinner parties and barbecues.  I want to string lights and bunting above our backyard to make it feel special and fun, and plant veggies and herbs so I can cook with my own homegrown produce!  Summer is a long time coming, though, so for now I'll just continue daydreaming.
  

a peek into our new home

So far we don't have any room in the house completed, but things are looking better than the boxes everywhere after moving in.  We had our housewarming party on Friday night so I cleaned up the house (read: shove piles of stuff into cabinets), and it looked pretty sharp, so I took some photos.  I still have tons of painting and decorating to do.  I only have one piece of art hung so far, and I'm in serious need of some drapes in the living room to really pull things together.  But we've got more pressing, non-decor house stuff to do in this coming month, so finishing up my decor ambitions will probably go on pause for a little bit.  I'm super happy with how things are coming along, though, and it's so fun to see things come together!  We put up the bunting from our wedding in the living room for the party and it just looks so festive I don't want to take it down!  We get so much more light in this house than our last place, and I'm totally in love with it.

quilt

/urban outfittters ::

iPhone dock

+

lamp

/modcloth :: sidetable/target :: basket + rug/ikea

rug + pillows/ikea ::

teepee print

/

beauchamping

:: camera print/

christine berrie

chair/thrifted :: couch/ikea (craigslist) ::

mt. mckinley print

/

ranger doug

remix archives // par avion

I've had this Dear Creatures dress for about a year.  It was my first dress from Dear Creatures and is still one of my favorite pieces in my wardrobe, definitely one of those special dresses. It works great as a summer dress (for days that aren't too hot, as the fabric is quite heavy), but it also works great in the fall and autumn with a sweater over it, or a top layered underneath.  I absolutely adore all the details in this dress: the pleating, the peter pan collar with contrasting trim, the buttons, and the cut is just so lovely.  I like that it's both structured and whimsical at the same time.  I have a few more pieces from DC now, but I think this is still my favorite piece of theirs!

my fitness wishlist

I don't do a ton of wishlists, but it's the start of the new year and tis the season for fitness goals, which I think is great (stick with it!).  I've been doing Insanity the past couple months, have been climbing regularly this past year (with a 4 month break, mid year), and am hoping to take more advantage of the Pilates/yoga classes offered by my climbing gym.  Over the holidays I went with my mom to her Pilates studio and did a few classes with her, which was a blast.  I did a ton of Pilates and some ballet in college and loved both, so I'd like to get back in the groove of doing those types of classes, too.  Anyway, that is all to say that one of my goals this year is to continue leading an active, healthy, and fit lifestyle.  I was a pretty active kid and was a competitive equestrian for about 10 years during my teens, and then was able to do lots of fun fitness electives in college, but keeping it up in the "real world" is a bit more challenging, what with fitting fitness classes and such into a busy schedule.  That and combating general laziness.  But anyway, here's a little wishlist of items that I'd like that are fitness/health related.

1. Lululemon's The Mat or Manduka's eKo Yoga Mat. Since we have hardwoods in our new house, I'm finding that I need more cushioning when I do Insanity in my living room.  I'm currently using two yoga mats, but one is borrowed from a friend, so I'd like to get another one of my own that is thicker than regular mats.

2. Lululemon Leggings. I found a pair of Lululemon leggings at the thrift store the other day (major score) and I'm totally a convert.  For rock climbing and yoga/pilates, I really need a legging that isn't see through when I'm doing deep squats and stretching the fabric across my butt.  I tried getting some new leggings at target, but they still were see through.  These leggings are spendy, but they are so high quality and exactly what I need for climbing.

3. Heart Rate Monitor.  It would be nice to know what my heart rate is, especially when doing Insanity workouts where I know my heart rate is getting pretty high.  I currently have a Fitbit zip activity tracker, which is nice as a pedometer that also tracks approximate calories burned and distance traveled, but it doesn't monitor my heart rate.  I like it, though, because it talks right to my computer and I can log into my Fitbit dashboard online (or on my iPhone!) and all the info automatically gets uploaded, so it tracks everything for me!

4. Reusable Water Bottle.  I'm pretty terrible at hydrating myself.  Having a water bottle that I could take with me would be really nice, and would also be way less wasteful than getting plastic bottles all the time.  I really hate the metallic smell of metal waterbottles, but this one has a plastic nozzle on top, so I think that would solve that problem!

5. New climbing shoes.  I absolutely love my Evolv Elektras (other than the fact that they reek and make my feet reek too. Climber problems), but I would like to get another pair with maybe a bit more of an arch, perhaps a bit more of an intermediate/advanced shoe.  Not sure yet.  I don't really need new shoes, so I'll wait on this until maybe summer when we'll be doing more outdoor climbing and I might want more precision in my shoes.

6. Hiking shoes.  I thrifted a pair of hiking shoes last year, but they were too big and I needed to wear like two pairs of socks to make them work, which really wasn't awesome for hiking in hot weather.  They're nice, but not good for longer treks where I'll need shoes that fit very well. It's hard to find good shoes that fit me due to my size 4.5 feet.  There's not a great selection in those sizes and kids shoes aren't usually made to be worn as heavily as adult shoes are (and are typically only designed to last only a year, since kids are constantly growing out of things).  Hopefully I'll be able to find a good pair before summer!  I'd like to do more hiking adventures this year.